The Last Sacred KingsFor the great majority of human history, we have been governed by sacred kings: individuals who claim that their right to rule depends not on their relationship with the people, but on their relationship with the divine. If you want to know what sacred kingship might look like in the postmodern age, Thailand will give you an idea.

Cuba And The Mystery Of The Sonic WeaponNot since the Cold War has there been a diplomatic mystery as intriguing as the “sonic weapon” purportedly used against American and Canadian officials in Havana.

Sanhedrin Revives Ancient Temple Water Libation Ritual In Shiloah ValleyOn Monday afternoon, a group of approximately 500 set out from the Dung Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, singing and dancing as they descended into the valley below Jerusalem with one goal in mind: to draw one small jug of water from the Shiloah Pool in order to reenact the Temple water ceremony.

The Powerful And Timeless Lesson King Solomon Has For Us AllPastor Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside and Irvine, California, recently broke down one of the powerful lessons that he believes King Solomon — a central Old Testament figure — can teach us all about fame and possessions.

In an interview about an audio Bible that Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta Pearson Washington, had worked on several years ago, CBS reporter Tracy Smith asked, “Why do you two think the Bible is the best seller year after year after year that it is?” Denzel Washington said, “I think that because inside of every one of us, we have something tugging at us, telling us to believe in something, to have faith in something bigger than ourselves. I think that that — that we’re born with that. But that thing is gnawing at each and every one of us,” said Washington. “We all have that. So we all search, hopefully, and this [the Bible] is a part of that.

In the past month momentum has mounted around a technology called CRISP​R-Cas9, often described as a “search and replace” tool for DNA. The reason? It’s possible that scientists are now looking into using the revolutionary technique to permanently edit the genome of human eggs, sperm and embryos, a process called germline engineering. This is the new frontier of genetic engineering, in which modifications made to reproductive cells—the germline—would be passed down to subsequent generations. Scientists aren’t sure what the effects of that might be yet [but] human germline engineering is already possible. “Certainly in terms of the scientific capabilities and the ease of using the technology, it’s there,” Doudna told Motherboard.

Artificial intelligence is not yet at the point where it can challenge the intellect of a human being, but that day might be closer than you think. Recent advances are transforming this technology into something that inspires both awe and fear into the general population. One company that has been working for some time to bring the controversial technology to the next level is called Numenta and was founded by Jeff Hawkins.

An exoskeleton that enables movement and provides tactile feedback has helped eight paralysed people regain sensation and move previously paralysed muscles . “I FELT the ball!” yelled Juliano Pinto as he kicked off the Football World Cup in Brazil last year. Pinto, aged 29 at the time, lost the use of his lower body after a car accident in 2006. “It was the most moving moment,” says Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in North Carolina, head of the Walk Again Project, which developed the thought-controlled exoskeleton that enabled Pinto to make his kick.

The U.S. Navy will launch up to 30 synchronized drones within one minute, possibly from a single cannon-like device, in what marks a significant advance in robot autonomy. The drones, when airborne, will then unfold their wings and conduct a series of maneuvers and simulated missions with very little human guidance over the course of 90 minutes. Navy officials announced on Tuesday that they intend to stage a key demonstration of the swarm bots from what the Navy is calling a “tube-based launcher,” essentially, a big cannon, next year. The program, which the Navy is called Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology, or LOCUST, marks a significant advance in applications for robotic swarming…